Events of May 23: assault on Donbas battalion and attempts of terrorists to disrupt elections 

This day went down in history with news about deaths of Ukrainian military servicemen and Donbas battalion fighters in Donetsk region. The terrorists still controls the vast majority of district election commissions in Donetsk and Luhansk region a day ahead of elections.

Confrontation in the East Goes on

Ukrainian law enforcement officers repelled another attempt of insurgents to break ATO encirclement in the north and have destroyed the terrorists' unit near Rubizhne, Luhansk region. According to the ATO spokesperson, the Ukrainian Army also suffered casualties. Two Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 7 more wounded during the operation.

Donbas battalion fell into ambush near Karlivka village, Donetsk region. As of 4:00pm, according to official information, five fighters of Donbas special battalion were killed and seven more were wounded.

Meanwhile one of the terrorist leaders Ihor Bezler informed commander of “Donbas” battalion Semen Semenchenko about killing of all battalion’s captured fighters.

According to the Deputy Minister of Ukraine’s Ministry of Health Ruslan Salyutin, number of dead Ukrainian soldiers in the fight near Volnovakha raised to seventeen men.

According to the Interior Minister Advisor Anton Herashchenko, two journalists from Russian TV channel LifeNews, apprehended by SSU, were filming terrorists killing the Ukrainian servicemen. 

The so-called prosecutor of self-proclaimed "Donetsk people's republic" has opened the criminal proceedings against tycoon Rinat Akhmetov.

Press service of Donetsk regional state administration informed that around ten armed men came to wounded fighters of Donbas battalion, but at the current moment they left the premises of Kalinin hospital.

Terrorists dictate their terms to Donbas

Central Election Commission has relocated five district election commissions from the territory of Donetsk city to the city airport.

At the current moment none of five district election commissions of Donetsk city received voting ballots from Kyiv.

Head of unrecognized “Luhansk People’s Republic” Valery Bolotov addressed region’s citizens not to participate in May 25 Ukrainian presidential election "due to the possible provocations".

The public order will be secured by over 75 thousand of people on the E-day (May 25), including 55.7 thousand of policemen and over 20 thousand of the members of the public.

Fighters of Azov special battalion freed the building of Torez City Council (Donetsk region) from the representatives of the so-called “DPR”. Two terrorists are liquidated.

Batallion Donbas decided to take control of administrative buildings, as well as district and precinct election commissions in some districts of Donetsk region.

In total amount 20 out 34 district election commissions (DEC) are blocked by the terrorists in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Central Election Commission invited the leadership of Interior Ministry to its meeting on Saturday and expects the explanations about the poor protection of the premises of district election commission in Luhansk and Donetsk regions.